Welcome to 2013! Each Sunday of this year, I will post my photographs, “recipe” and tip for that week’s floral arrangement, created for my new book, Slow Flowers. Enjoy the floral journey through 52 weeks of the year~

“Frosty White”

A gathering of the winter's quiet, silvery textures in a beautiful patterned ginger jar.

A detail of all the beautiful gray, silver and white textures in this winter arrangement.

The fashionable vase: Choosing the appropriate vessel for an arrangement is like finding the perfect pair of pumps to complement a cocktail dress. There’s good, better or best – and a critical eye is required to make just the right choice. When I made this arrangement, I also photographed two alternate versions: in a tall, white ceramic vase (shown above), and a metallic urn with bands of chrome, brass and bronze. Last year, when I first designed this vase, readers voted and the pure white vase gained the top spot. While I prefer the ginger-jar vase shown here, the exercise taught me the importance of designing what is personally pleasing. Taste is subjective and while the aesthetic of others may influence you, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

[…] book, Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm. Her off-white arrangement for week one is elegant but doable, even if you have a wait a few more weeks here for pussy willows to show up […]